Johnson & Wales University-Providence (JWU) vs Merrimack

Johnson & Wales University-Providence and Merrimack College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Johnson & Wales, known for its culinary and hospitality programs, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on career preparation. Merrimack, on the other hand, excels in liberal arts and sciences, with a particular emphasis on business and engineering. While both universities offer a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates vary significantly. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Johnson & Wales University-Providence	Merrimack College
Overview
Location	Providence, Rhode Island	North Andover, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	71.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	80.3%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	9,254	10,429
Total number of admissions given out	8,182	8,375
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,121	967
Yield rate	13.7%	11.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$49,682	$64,774
Average net price	$30,715	$35,500
Tuition	$35,750	$43,842
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $12,551 Meal plan: $5,050	Room/dormitory: $9,493 Meal plan: $7,323
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $22,880	99.0% Average amount $25,528
Students receiving federal student loan	81.0% Average amount $5,731	64.0% Average amount $5,356
Students taking out private loans	18.0% Average amount $20,241	16.0% Average amount $22,739

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,652 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%	4,120 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Graduate students	465 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%	1,332 Men 27.3% Women 72.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	78.3%	N/A
International students	4.4%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,255	2,713
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Rhode Island Mississippi New York New Jersey Connecticut	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Culinary and Personal Services Family and Consumer Sciences Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Education Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.9%	69.0%
Dropout rate	18.0%	0.1%
Transferred out	18.5%	30.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,155 Year 2: $105,585 Year 3: $110,068 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $90,408 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $92,194 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,354 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $59,213 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,690 Year 2: $50,677 Year 3: $59,195 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,464 Year 2: $46,254 Year 3: $55,561 Engineering, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $53,378 Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,561 Year 2: $50,439 Year 3: $53,161 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,238 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $46,378 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,411 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $45,545 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,639 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $44,695	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,692 Year 2: $44,327 Year 3: $57,831 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,877 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,983 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,240 Year 2: $43,160 Year 3: $48,263 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,959 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $47,824 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,026 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $44,114 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,044 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: N/A Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,117 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,444 Year 2: $36,312 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,991 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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